‘No Covid misinformation’

Minister of Civic Education and National Unity Timothy Mtambo has cautioned parents in Nkhata Bay against giving their school-going children false information about the Covid-19 vaccine.

He said this on Sunday when he visited Mgodi Primary School in Chintheche where learners fled upon seeing a Forestry Department vehicle approaching their school, thinking it had carried Covid-19 vaccine.

Mtambo said it was sad to hear that parents were the ones allegedly misleading their children about Covid-19 vaccine.

“We expect parents to give right information to their children so that together we can win the fight against Covid-19,” he said.

In random interviews, the children said they fled the school because their parents had warned them against taking Covid-19 vaccine and that any vehicle coming to the school might be carrying health workers to vaccinate them.

Mtambo also made a symbolic presentation of cement, buckets and soap from Mlelewaka Foundation.

In his remarks, Traditional Authority Malanda assured the minister that he will continue sensitising his subjects to Covid-19 preventive measures.

On his part, Nkhata Bay District Council chairperson Cyria Adamana said the incident at Mgodi was a clear indication of information gap on the pandemic.

He asked the minister for more resources to conduct more awareness campaigns.

Later in the afternoon, Mtambo presided over an award ceremony at Kunyanja Private Secondary School where outstanding students in the 2020 Malawi School Certificate of Education were honoured.

The school produced two students with eight and nine points.